English : reading and listening comprehension of texts in Bioengineering

langl1882  2021-2022  Louvain-la-Neuve

English : reading and listening comprehension of texts in Bioengineering
2.00 credits
30.0 h
Q2
Teacher(s)
Dumont Amandine; Halleux Ariane; Meirlaen Sandrine (coordinator); Peters Charlotte; Toubeau Anne-Julie (coordinator);
Language
English
Prerequisites
To have passed LANGL1881 or reached the B1 level of the « Common European Framework of References for Languages »

The prerequisite(s) for this Teaching Unit (Unité d’enseignement – UE) for the programmes/courses that offer this Teaching Unit are specified at the end of this sheet.
Main themes
The studied themes are connected with current environmental issues and general scientific topics such as water shortage, earth summits, renewable energy, deforestation, etc.
Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

1 At the end of the course, the students should have developed the following skills:
Reading comprehension
  • Receptive skills necessary for writing their dissertation and other academic work. Students should be able to understand in detail both descriptive and argumentative texts concerning general scientific topics about bioengineering.
Level B2-C1 of the « Common European Framework of References for Languages »
Listening comprehension
  • Receptive skills necessary for understanding television programmes (talks, lectures,') on scientific subjects oriented towards bioengineering..
Level B1-B2 of the « Common European Framework of References for Languages »
 
Content
  • Reading comprehension: portfolio of articles and abstracts from the New Scientist, Scientific American, tetxbooks, ... etc
  • Listening comprehension : set of authentic television programmes on scientific topics
  • Phonetics and pronunciation exercises
  • Introductory speaking skills : short oral presentations and speaking activities
  • scientific vocabulary
  • grammar
Teaching methods
Class organised on a weekly basis (2h/week) in relatively "small" groups. One hour in class, the other in a language laboratory. Attendance is compulsory.
  • The teaching methods used will encourage the active and interactive participation of the students. The first step, which is crucial, is the preparation of reading activities which will be dealt with more fully in the following lesson: students receive precise instructions on how to work either individually or in groups, on a series of problems which will enable them to discover, for instance, certain lexical or grammatical aspects of texts. Afterwards, during the lesson, the students are expected to comment on the different problems they encountered, and the conclusions they came to.
  • Systematic development of reading strategies.
  • Discourse cohesion, recurrent grammatical structures and additional lexical and grammatical difficulties
  • Listening comprehension : various language laboratory exercises to ensure a thorough understanding of the message.
  • Short oral presentations in groups.
Evaluation methods
All students can take the exemption test organised in term 1. The format of this test is the same as the one organised at the end of the term. 10/20 exempts the students from both class attendance and the exam. If the exempted student wishes to improve their grade, s/he can take the exam at the end of the term. S/he won’t have access to classes but to the course notes and the LANGL1882 Moodle webpage.
The student will be assessed on the skills trained throughout the term, namely on their reading comprehension and listening comprehension skills, as well as on scientific vocabulary and particular grammar points. Those skills will be trained in class, with the help of the course notes and on Moodle.
The written exam (/12) takes place in week 13 (of the second quadrimester), and is a combination of MCQ and open questions (answers in English). There are 2 main parts: reading comprehension (60%) and listening comprehension (40%).
The continuous assessment (/8) includes tests during the course of the term (written test and pronunciation test), Moodle exercises, speaking exercises and active participation in class. 
For the second session of the same academic year, the continuous assessment will be taken into account only if it is to the student’s advantage (same weighting as for the first session). If not, the exam will be out of 20, without continuous assessment. Beware, the continuous assessment cannot be postponed until another academic year.
Bibliography
> Syllabus LANGL1882
Faculty or entity
ILV


Programmes / formations proposant cette unité d'enseignement (UE)

Title of the programme
Sigle
Credits
Prerequisites
Learning outcomes
Bachelor in Bioengineering

Interdisciplinary Advanced Master in Science and Management of the Environment and Sustainable Development

Master [120] in Environmental Science and Management